South Bay High School Student Alleges 'Kill List' Posted by Classmates on Social Media

The family of an African-American girl has taken steps to sue a South Bay school district, alleging she felt threatened after classmates posted a "kill list" on social media, court documents revealed Monday. Marianne Favro reports. (Published Monday, June 12, 2017)

The family of an African-American girl has taken steps to sue a South Bay school district, alleging she felt threatened after classmates posted a "kill list" on social media, court documents revealed Monday.

The civil complaint says the Fremont Union High School District was negligent because it didn't do enough to stop a Monta Vista High School student from being threatened. The alleged kill list threatened to kill or shoot all black students at the Cupertino school. The student suffered mental and emotional distress and was forced to transfer to another school out of fear for her life, the complaint says.

According to court documents, the girl was targeted in September of last year when some students on the Monta Vista campus repeatedly harassed her because of her race, frequently calling her the "n" word. The complaint, filed on behalf of the girl's mother last month, also alleges students labeled themselves kill spree masters on social media and named all AfricanAmerican students at school.

A South Bay Student Files a Civil Complaint

The family of an African-American girl has taken steps to sue a South Bay school district, alleging she felt threatened after classmates posted a "kill list" on social media, court documents revealed Monday. Sharon Katsuda reports.

(Published Tuesday, June 13, 2017)

The lawsuit alleges the school district failed to prevent the bullying and cyberbullying at school even though it was aware of the problem. The district also breached the education code by failing to investigate the allegations thoroughly and notify parents, the complaint says.

The school district released a statement Monday, saying in part: "The district is aware of the incident of racist, misogynist, and inappropriate speech, which occurred on social media and involved several Monta Vista High School students in September of last year. When it was first brought to the attention of administrators, staff immediately investigated and took appropriate disciplinary action."

The school district also said it notified the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office, which investigated the issue.